27 amazing things to do in Beijing this week

Happy Monday, Beijing! With music, films and parties galore, it's shaping up to be another great week. Read on for our top picks.

As well as these highlights, there are many more things to do in Beijing this week: explore, enjoy and don't forget to Instagram us your snaps with #timeoutbeijing or let us know on Facebook what you really enjoyed.

Film and Board Game Night

Camera Stylo. Fri 21. 7.30pm-midnight. FREE  

This Friday, Camera Stylo returns with another film and board game night. Catch a screening of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle then spend the rest of the evening playing table-top games (while sipping on some boozy beverages). There'd be games available, but if there's a specific game you'll like to play, bring it along – the more games, the better, right?

Overnight Trip to Gubeikou and Jinshanling Great Wall

Picture: Beijing Hikers

Sat 22. 8am-6pm. 1,800RMB/1,620RMB for members

Explore Gubeikou and Jinshanling Great Wall with this two-day trip, including an overnight stay in a village hotel, by Beijing Hikers. Trek through the Great Wall at Gubeikou and Gubeikou village to check out the temples, followed by a visit to Gubeikou's 'Sister Towers' and a hike from Hemp Village over to the Jinshanling Great Wall.

The Hutong Tour

Picture: Bespoke Beijing

Drum and Bell towers. Thu 20. 9am-12.30pm. 500RMB      

Head out with Bespoke for a tour of Beijing's best alleyways. Visit the Drum Tower, see a hidden museum, and whizz through the hutongs on a rickshaw. Take a side stop to meet a cricket trainer. With local guides who know the hutongs better than anyone, explore these Beijing relics with true historians.

Traditional Chinese Weaving Workshop

Photo: Cultural Keys

Culture Yard. Sun 23. 3-5pm. 188RMB (adults) /158RMB (children under 16)   

Learn to make your own woven toys with Cultural Key's Chinese Weaving workshop. These crafts, commonly seen at temple fairs during the Spring Festival are usually woven as toys in the form of animals and insects such as grasshoppers, dragonflies, locusts, shrimp and frogs.

Four Hands, Four Influences: Yin Yang Pairing

Photo: Mio Restaurant

Mio. Thu 20-Sun 23. 11.30am-10pm.From 468RMB    

Calling all foodies to Four Seasons Hotel Beijing's award-winning Italian restaurant Mio as it gears up for another culinary extravaganza. Mio’s avant-garde Chef de Cuisine, Aniello Turco will reunite with his former colleague, a two Michelin-star Executive Chef, Kotaro Noda from Tokyo in a unique tasting menu.

Seasonal Wild Vegetables at the Foot of the Great Wall

Photo: Brickyard Mutianyu

The Brickyard. Sat 22. 7-9.30pm. 588RMB (dinner)/1,588RMB (dining+hotel for one)/2,180RMB (dining+hotel for two)

On Saturday 22, three master chefs are taking over The Brickyard for the Special Partner’s Table Dinner 'Seasonal Wild Vegetables at the Foot of the Great Wall”. Mars Liu, a well-known chef who also won the Asian Chef Challenge, Randhir Singh, the Brickyard's own executive chef from Canada, and the Brickyard's very own Head Chef Song Cuihong.

Summer Seafood Feast

Photo: Mosto

Mosto. Fri 21. 5.30-10pm. From 468RMB 

Join Mosto for their over-the-top summer seafood feast. Dine on the freshest assortments of imported seafood from shells and crustaceans to fish and more. And of course, pair this decadent feast with your favourite summer tunes and abundant amounts of rosé and champagne. Call 5208 6030 to make a reservation.

Two-for-one Twosdays at Gung Ho

Photo: Mosto

Gung Ho! Pizza (Sanlitun). Tue 26 Feb-Tue 31 Dec (Every Tuesday). 11am-11pm. FREE    

Join Gung Ho! in store, order a pizza, flash a smile and get the second pizza on the house. For deliveries, it's 20 percent off your pie (the deal's better in store, because it's better for our planet, high five). The promotion is available at all Gung Ho! stores.

[Alexandros]

Photo: [Alexandros]/247 Tickets

Omni Space. Sun 23. 8-10pm. 420RMB/350RMB adv

[Alexandros] was initially formed by vocalist Yoohei Kawakami and bassist Hiroyuki Isobe. Brought up in Syria, Yoohei speaks fluent English with a Middle Eastern accent, singing rock numbers and sweet ballads in both English and Japanese. Hiroyuki, having spent most of his childhood in the US contributes to the band's unique sounds. 

Christopher Nissen

Photo: 247 Tickets

Tango. Sun 23. 7.30-9.30pm. 580RMB/480RMB adv

With supermodel good looks and a winning falsetto, Danish pop sensation Christopher Nissen was manufactured for international success. Nissen appeared seemingly out of nowhere in August 2011, rising to fame after a video of an acoustic cover of Robyn's 'Call Your Girlfriend' was uploaded onto YouTube. This video instantly garnered thousands of hits, paving the way for Nissen's latest single and debut album.

Jochen Reuckert Quartet

Photo: Jochen Rueckert/247 Tickets

Blue Note Beijing. 7.30-9.30pm 20 Thu, 7.30-9.30pm,10pm-midnight 21 Fri. 300RMB/400RMB 

Jochen Rückert is a German jazz drummer who's resided in New York City since 1997. Jochen began practising the drums at the age of six. His music can be heard on over 120 albums, having worked and recorded with musicians and bands such as the Marc Copland Trio, Nils Wogram & Root 70.

Oré

Photo: Oré/faguowenhua

Omni Space. Fri 21. 7-11pm. FREE

Morgane, a.k.a. Oré, is a young sound engineer. A piano player with a taste for jazz, she gradually began to write rap music over a frenetic electric beat. Full of wit and with a unique tone, her work is distinguished by its old school lyrics and flow. 

Rendez-Vous

Photo: Rendez-Vous/247 Tickets

Yue Space. Tue 18. 8.30-10.30pm. 100RMB/80RMB adv    

Rendez-Vous is a post-punk French band from Paris, France. Founded by Francis Mallari and Elliot Bethault in 2012, Maxime Gendre and Simon Dubourg joined a couple of months later. With that, the band released their first EP in 2014, and by the summer of 2015, started their tours across Europe.

The Score

Photo: 247 Tickets

Tango. Sat 22. 8.30-10.30pm. 260RMB-500RMB    

Eddie Anthony and Edan Dover have unapologetically clung onto a defined identity, which they've defined as 'a kick-ass band'. Their energetic performances have made the New York-born and Los Angeles-based duo into a genre-defying phenomenon, crossing the lines between rock, pop, indie, and electronic music. 

Black Tiger Sex Machine

Photo: Black Tiger Sex Machine/247 Tickets

Tango. Fri 21. 10pm-midnight. 500RMB/400RMB adv

Black Tiger Sex Machine are a trio of electronic music producers from Montreal, Canada. Known for their heavy electro and bass sound that combines tracks, loops, drums, samples and synths into an intense barrage of sounds and beats, they first caught industry attention in 2012 with a series of blistering electro releases. 

Jazzy Sport Label Party

Photo: ☆.A/NAOITO/247 Tickets

Yue Space. Sun 23. 9-11pm. 220RMB/180RMB adv

After afrobeat band KINGDOM AFROCKS broke up in 2014, frontman ☆.A/NAOITO started making music again with the help of Jazzy Sport. Performing is also Mitsu The Beats, the alias of a diminutive yet talented Sendai City native. Mitsu The Beats soon found himself being namechecked by the likes of Pete Rock, Gilles Peterson, and DJ Spinna with the release of his LP. 

Love on Top: Rooftop Pool Party

Photo: Sugar House

The Emperor Beijing Qianmen. Sat 22. 3-10pm. 120RMB/100RMB adv  

Join Sugar House's R&B party Love On Top, this time right in the city centre. Held at the iconic Emperor Hotel's rooftop pool, party hard, all with a view overlooking the Forbidden City. Dance along to DJs playing the greatest R&B anthems from the 90s till the 00s. Sip on boozy beverages, sing to Beyonce's 'Love on Top' and when it gets too hot, dive into the pool for a quick cool down. We can't think of a better way to celebrate summer.

RP Boo

Photo: RP Boo/WeChat

Dada. Sat 22. 10pm-late. 80RMB/60RMB (before 11pm)

Dancing is central to RP Boo. If you’ve been lucky enough to catch one of his DJ sets, you’ll probably have seen him come out from behind the decks and start dancing with the crowd. Sonically, RP Boo is a modern-day Zatoichi samurai, cutting his samples in unorthodox ways.

The Flip Side: Disco Party

Photo: Soi Baochao/WeChat

Soi Baochao. Fri 21. 9pm-late. FREE    

Bring your boogie shoes, come freak out and celebrate good times. Performing are Chill Heads, the freshest trio to hit the Beijing music scene, and DJ Dice Twice from Ukraine. Get ready to groove to his music, a combination of hip-hop, reggae, ska, jungle, techno and psytrance.

El Reino

Photo: El Reino/IMDB

Camera Stylo. Thu 20. 8-10pm. FREE

A Spanish politician whose high-class lifestyle is based on nefarious and illegal business threatens to break his entire party after a newspaper exposes him to the public eye. Described as the Spanish version of House of Cards, El Reino is a suspense thriller by young Spanish director Rodrigo Sorrogoye.

China Through Cinema: Little Red Flowers

Photo: Culture Yard/WeChat

Culture Yard. Fri 21. 7.45-9.45pm. 50RMB/25RMB (Cultural Yard students)    

Fang Qiang is a four-year-old boy whose parents decide to send him away to a well-appointed kindergarten boarding school. As a fierce individualist, Qiang refuses to conform to the model his teachers enforce, and struggles to fit into a strictly regimented society in a post-revolutionary China behaviour.

Lucas and Arthur Jussen Piano Duets

Photo: Lucas and Arthur Jussen/247 Tickets

NCPA. Fri 21. 7.30-9.30pm. 50RMB-380RMB    

Dutch brothers Lucas and Arthur Jussen are only in their 20s, but that hasn't stopped them achieving international acclaim in the classical world. Having been part of international concerts and praised by both the press and audiences, Lucas and Arthur have performed with all the major Dutch orchestras as well as received invitations to perform with orchestras in Sydney, Dallas and Shanghai. 

Tan Dun and Orchestre National de Lyon

Photo: Orchestre National de Lyon/247 Tickets

NCPA. Sat 22. 7.30-9.30pm. 180RMB-880RMB

This past year, Tan Dun conducted the grand opening celebration of Disneyland Shanghai which was broadcasted to a record-breaking audience worldwide. Now as a conductor of innovative programmes around the world, Tan Dun has led the China tours of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Japan's NHK Symphony Orchestra.

Thalia Theatre: Die Odyssee

Photo: Thalia Theatre/247 Tickets

Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Centre. Tue 18-Wed 19. 7.30-9.30pm. 99RMB-680RMB    

When Odysseus went to fight in the Trojan War, he left his wife, Penelope and his baby behind. Now 20 years later, his infant son has grown into a young man. Telemachus has never seen his father, only heard stories. Antú Romero Nunes tells the story of the unreliable narrator, Odysseus, in collaboration with actors Thomas Niehaus and Paul Schröder.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show

Photo: Orchestre National de Lyon/247 Tickets

Beijing Theatre. 5-5.45pm , 7-7.45pm, 21 Fri, 10.30-11.15am , 2.30-3.15pm , 7-7.45pm, 22 Sat, 10.30-11.15am , 2.30-3.15pm , 7-7.45pm, 23 Sun. 180RMB-1,110RMB

The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by author-illustrator Eric Carle, has delighted generations of readers since it was first published in 1969. This timeless classic has now made its way off the page and onto the stage with this critically acclaimed production of The Very Hungry Caterpillar show features a menagerie of 75 lovable puppets.

Art Fair in Hotel 2019

Photo: AIFH

The Peninsula Beijing. Fri 21-Sun 23. 80RMB-188RMB    

The Art Fair in Hotel (AFIH) was founded in 2018. Using the hotel as a medium and its suites as exhibition units, AIFH brings art out of its traditional white cubes. AIFH 2019 will feature 24 local and international galleries, with more than 1000 artworks including painting, sculpture, photography, installation, new media art and design arts.

National Geographic: A New Age of Exploration 2.0

Photo: 247 Tickets

Beijing World Art Museum. Sat 23 Mar-Sun 23 Jun (Every day except Monday). 80-210RMB; 70-180RMB (early bird)    

This is your last weekend to catch this National Geographic exhibition. Covering 130 years of the landmark magazine's stunning history, this exhibition brings to life photos taken from all corners of the earth and elaborates on the often haunting stories behind them.

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